Walter morton brown



(No Model.)

' W. BROWN.

FEED WATER HEATER.

N0. 391,686. Patented Oct. 23, 188 8.

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XVAL'IER MORTON BROWN, OF ALBANY, NEXV YORK.

FEED=WATER HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,686, dated October 23, 1888.

Application filed January 20, 1888. Serial No. 261,374. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, WALTER MORTON BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heaters for Steam-Boilers and Like Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to force the feed-water through a system of pipes located mainly within the boiler and submerged in the water therein, whereby the feed-water will be heated to as high a temperature as the main body of water in the boiler before the feedwater is discharged into the boiler, one or both ends of each pipe composing the feed-water system passing through the shell of the boiler and having a removable plug or other closing device, which may be removed or inserted at will from the outside of the boiler, to the end that all sediment, lime, and other deposit that may accumulate in said feed-water pipes may be removed through the plugged ends of the pipes coming through the shell of the boiler, the ends thus capable of being closed or opened at will having try-cocksfthat the condition of said pipes may be at any time ascertained. I attain this object by means of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a steamboiler having a portion of one of the steam and water drums broken away, showing one of the feed-water pipes as it is passed through the steam and water drum below the waterline in said boiler, and also showing one of its ends passed through the front head of the boiler and closed by a screw-plug. Fig. 2

' shows a front elevation of the front water-head of a steam-boiler with a portion of the front plate broken away, showing the feed-water pipes passed back and forth within the waterspace of the boiler and submerged beneath the water in the boiler, one end of each long pipe of said system of pipes passed through the side of the boiler, the ends being closed by a screw-plug and having try cocks adjusted thereto. Fig. 8 shows a view of the rear water-head of said boiler, showing the pipes of the feed-water system passed back and forth inside of said rear water-head and passed through the shell of said boiler, the endsthereof being closed and having try-cocks adjusted thereto; also showing a valve located within said rear watenhead having its stem passed through the shell of the boiler, said valve being capable of being operated from the outside of the boiler; alsoshowing a valve on the outside of the shell of the boiler and in connection with the terminus of the feed-water pipes.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

That others skilled in the art may make and use the same, I make the following detailed do scription of my invention.

A represents the steam-boiler; B, a system ofpiping passing back and forth through the boiler; 0, ends of each pipe forming the systern passed through the shell of the boiler; D, screw-plugs inserted in the outer ends of said pipes; E, a valve having its stein passing through the shell of the boiler through a stuffing-box, said valve being capable of being operated from the outside of the boiler by means of the valvesteni; F, a second valve located at or near the terminus of the feed-water pipes on the inside of the boiler, having its stem passed through the shell of the boiler through a stuffing-box, said valve being capable of being operated from the outside of the boiler; G, a valve located in the outer end or portion of the feed-water system outside of the boiler; H, try-cocks fitted to the ends of the piping lying outside of the boiler; J, pipes connecting the outside ends of the long pipes of the system together.

I preferably construct the feed-water system of three-inch tubing, and where the ends of the tubing pass through the shell of the boiler I preferably expand them therein. The outer ends of the tubing I preferably connect by pieces of tubing having a union or connection connecting the short pieces together, as shown. The end of the feed-water tubing I preferably close by a screw-plug capable of being inserted or removed at pleasure; but the pipes of the feed-water system as they 'pass through the shell of the boiler may be passed through stuffing-boXes, or other means used to render the joint tight, other than expanding them into the boiler, if desired, and the short pipes connecting the outer ends of the feed-water pipes may or may not have unions or connections connecting them together, and the outer ends of the feed-water pipes may be closed by any Well-known device other than screw-plugs, if desired. In the drawings the feed-water pipes are shown with but one end of each long pipe passing through the boiler-shell, and I so preferably construct the system, as it leaves the pipes within the boiler perfect freedom to contract or expand without liability to anyinjury or to causing leaks where they pass through the boiler-shell; but both ends of said pipes may be passed through the shell of the boiler, if desired, and the short pipes (shown as connecting the inside ends of the long pipes) may be placed upon the outside of the boiler, if preferred. The pipe connecting the pump or pipes of the system is quite slow. As the water passes thus slowly through the pipes, said pipes being submerged in the water in the boiler, the feed-water becomes heated to as high a temperature as the water in the boiler before it reaches and passes out of the exitvalve F of the system at the'farther end of the pipes of the system inside the boiler, and if the boiler is carrying a steam-pressure of fiftyfive pounds per square inch the water in the boiler will be heated to about 302 Fahrenheit and the feed-water the same. The feed-water thus being heated to 302 Fahrenheit before it escapes from the pipes of the system into the boiler will precipitate all its carbonate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, and sulphate of lime, together with all other foreign matters held in suspension, and will discharge into the bottom of the rear water-head of the boiler water freed from all these impurities. A portion of the sediment and matter thus precipitated will be discharged into the bottom of the rear water-head, where it will settle, the water therein being quiescent and not disturbed by the circulation of the boiler, and a portion of these impurities will lodge in the pipes of the feed-water system. If no way were provided for cleansing these pipes, they would tend to fill and become inoperative; but by use of the valves shown in the system and the removable plugs at the exit ends of each pipe the feedwater system may be freed of all such matter or accumulation in several different ways and without stopping the operation of the boiler. By opening the valve E and closing the valve F the full pressure in the boiler will be turned into the pipes of the system, and if now the valve G be opened the contents of the pipes will be blown off. Again, by closing the valve E and also the valve F and opening valve G and setting the pump in operation the pipes of the system will be washed out more or less thoroughly and cleared of all loose matter therein. Again, by closing valve E and also valve F the pressure of the steam in the boiler will be cut off from the interior of the pipes of the system, and by opening valve G any pressure that may have accumulated therein will be wholly reduced. By opening the trycocks it will be immediately ascertained whether or not there is any leak from the inside of the boiler into the pipes of the system; and if not the screw-plugs or other closing devices in the ends of the pipes may be removed and the pipes scraped or brushed out or 0th erwise cleaned. If it should be ascertained that there is a leak from the inside of the boiler into the feed-water pipes, thus rendering it dangerous to remove the plugs at the ends of the piping, by closing all the valves except valve E and then operating the pump water will be forced into the boiler, as is ordi narily done, and the boiler may be thus used and fed with water until such time as it can be retired from service long enough to make the necessary repairs to the pipes of the system.

Vhile the scale-forming matter held by the water will be deposited to a greater or less extent inside of the pipes of the feed-water system, yet it will be found that this scale-forming substance will not bake upon the inside su rfaces,as it does on those surfaces acted upon by fire or dry heat; but the scale may lightly adhere to these surfaces, sufficiently so that blowing off will not force it off. In such case a good solvent being injected into the system and allowed to remain there a short time will loosen all the scale and allow of its being easily removed.

I am aware that it is not new to place feedwater pipes inside of boilers and have them submerged in the water therein and to force the feed-water through the convolutions of such pipes, thereby heating it to a greater or less extent, and I make no claim on that; but I am not aware that such pipeshave ever been so placed and set that one or both ends of each pipe forming the system has been passed through the shell of the boiler and made capable of being opened or closed at will,whereby each pipe of the system could be easily cleaned from the outside of the boiler; nor am I aware that valves have ever been set or put in connection with a feed-water system,whereby by opening or closing one or more of them the feed-water pipes could be cleansed in one or more different ways. 7

I am also aware that it is not new to place a special receptacle for the depositing of mud or sediment in connection with a boiler, and I make no claim on that, but I am not aware caress 3 that a system of feed-water pipes has ever been introduced at one end of a boiler and caused to pass through the boiler back and forth until the exit end of such pipes reached and terminated in such a receptacle.

In the drawings the inside ends of the feedwater pipes are shown as being connected by a vertical pipe; but if thought necessary aY- piece may be used for a connection in the place of the short vertical pipes shown. Where the main pipes of the system lie over a foot apart, I preferably use the vertical pipes as connecting-pipes; but where the main pipes lie suflicieutly near together I prefer the Y- shaped connections or some connection operating in a similar manner, as by their use there is less liability of their becoming clogged by sediment or other matter, and by use of a scraper or brush the Y-connection is cleaned at the same time with the main pipes ofthe system.

Having fully described my invention and made the disclaimers above set forth, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A series of feed-water pipes convolving within a boiler, the ends of such pipes composing the series passing through the shell thereof, said ends thus protruding through said boiler-shell being connected together and having the openings in their ends closed by a removable closing device, substantially as described.

2. Pipes convolving within a steam -boiler, having one end of each pipe passing through the shell of the boiler, said ends of said pipes being connected and having their outer ends closed by a removable closing device and having valves located within the boiler,in connection with such pipes, capable of being operated from the outside of said boiler, substantially as described.

3. Pipes passing backward and forward within a steam-boiler,having the ends ofsueh pipes passed through the shell of the boiler, said ends of said pipes being connected and in communication with each other, and having their openings in their ends closed by a removable closing device and having try-cocks inserted in said ends of said pipes, substantially as described.

4. A series of pipes located within a boiler, one end of each pipe passing throughthe shell of the boiler,said ends of said pipe being con nected together and having the openings in said ends closed by a removable closing device,said.series of pipes having valves located inside of said boiler, said valves having their valve-stems passing through the shell of said boiler and capable of being operated from the outside of said boiler,the exit end of said pipes having a valve located outside of said boiler, substantially as described.

5. A series of pipes located within a steamboiler, the ends of said pipes passing through the shell of said boiler and connected together and having the openings in said ends closed by a removable closing device, said series of pipes having valves located within said boiler capable of being operated from the outside of said boiler, the exit-valve in said pipes located within the boiler and discharging its contents at a point below the main body of water in said boiler and having avalve at the exit end of said series of pipes on the outside of said boiler, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WALTER MORTON BR'OWVN.

Witnesses:

J. C. JoHNsoN, JOHN S. WOLFE. 

